Lady Luck was on the side of the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery.
Pre-lottery odds put the Rays at 3.03% odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the draft, which was the seventh-best odds in the league. While they didn’t jump up to the first pick, Tampa Bay made a huge move up the board.
They ended up with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, moving up from No. 7. The Chicago White Sox, who had a 27.7% chance of landing the first overall pick pre-lottery, ended up with the No. 1 selection.
The Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Athletics and Atlanta Braves rounded out the top six selections, with the Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels ineligible for the 2026 lottery because of rules that restrict larger-market payor clubs or winning the lottery in consecutive years.
Rays can add impact player with No. 2 pick
Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash answer questions Tuesday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The latter rule is almost certainly not going to come into play for the 2027 MLB Draft Lottery. Both the Rays and White Sox have experienced incredible turnarounds on the field during the 2026 season, currently leading their respective divisions. The Braves are also ahead in the National League East, and the Pirates are in the mix for a Wild Card spot in the NL.
For Tampa Bay, this is the highest draft pick they will be making since 2017, when they selected first baseman Brendan McKay No. 4 overall out of the University of Louisville. That was also the last time the Rays had a selection in the top 10.
With their first round picks last year, Tampa Bay selected shortstop Daniel Pierce out of Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia, No. 14 overall. With the No. 42 pick, they selected the University of Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill.
Every legacy begins at the draft 🐐
It feels right that we’d be celebrating one of the franchise’s most legendary draft picks on MLB Draft Day. pic.twitter.com/bZFhlnJSa0
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 11, 2026
The Rays have had the No. 2 pick in the MLB draft only one other time, in 2002. That year, they selected B.J. Upton out of Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Virginia. He had eight productive seasons with Tampa Bay, producing a 15.6 bWAR with a .255/.336/.422 slash line as part of a 12-year MLB career.
Tampa Bay certainly hopes whoever they select with the No. 2 pick this year can at least replicate that production, if not surpass it. There are plenty of great prospects in this year’s draft class, providing the Rays with a golden opportunity to add another high-upside player to their burgeoning farm system, as they have the second-largest bonus pool.
Rays 2026 MLB Draft Tracker:Round 1: No. 2 Overall; SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian High School
Rays add a high-upside youngster at an organizational position of need up the middle. Emerson was viewed as some as the No. 1 player in this year’s draft class and he will immediately be inserted near the top of the team’s prospect rankings.
Fans should be very excited about what the future could hold for a player with the tools that the Fort Worth Christian High School product possesses, as the biggest knock against him in some evaluation circles is that he isn’t Bobby Witt Jr. But then again, who is?
Incoming infield influence 💥
With the 2nd overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft the Tampa Bay Rays select SS Grady Emerson. pic.twitter.com/WZMFtuBL3B
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 11, 2026Competitive Balance A: No. 33 Overall;Round 2: No. 49 Overall;Round 3: No. 85 Overall;Round 4: No. 113 Overall;
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